Staring at the doorway to the dungeon, you couldn't help but get a strange feeling something was off. Whilst you'd been through your fair share of dungeons, there was a strange vibe emitting from this one, which was made even stranger by the fact that the reason you were even here in the first place was because of a request made to you by your small friend, Poppy. She had seemed so earnest about you completing this dungeon, saying something about reading about it in a book and that she really wanted to know what was on the other side. She'd also been restricted to Hogwart's grounds for the foreseeable future after her Forbidden Forest Snidget escapades, leaving you to complete the area without her as a favour, and mostly because you couldn't say no to the girl.
The first thing you had noted was odd about the dungeon was the necessity for more than one person to complete it, though after facing Slytherin's scriptorium, it did feel a little more reassuring to you to enter unknown spaces with a friend or two in case it was necessary. You'd opted to invite your closest friends, though even if you had only invited one of them, you knew the boys came as a pair. Tension's were still high after the events of the year before, but you'd made some progress in getting the two to talk to each other again, and finally they were back to their shenanigans, at least for the most part.
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting." You cursed yourself as you felt your face flush as the owner of the voice came into view, a confident Sebastian Sallow waving over to you as he and Ominis reached the top of the hill to join you. You shook your head, smiling at the pair before quickly turning to face the entrance of the dungeon to hide the smile you couldn't keep off your face. The space either side of you was swiftly filled with the pair, a sense of comfort washing over you as they joined your gaze over the entrance.
"Why are we here again?" Ominis's voice broke the silence, drawing you attention to look at him, despite the fact he wouldn't look back.
"Poppy read about it and wanted me to check it out. And apparently it needs two people to complete and I don't feel like taking any risks with magical areas. Either way, I'm pretty confident Poppy isn't one to send us into certain death." This did not seem to fill Ominis with a sense of confidence, his nose scrunching with discontentment, though it wasn't as if he hadn't agreed to this venture previously. You laughed before slinging an arm around the blind boy, leaning your body into his with a contented smile.
"Come on, Omi, it's been ages since we've done something together. Do it for me?" You swung your arm further over his shoulder so you could stand behind him, hands gripping his shoulders so you could pull yourself up to look over his shoulder with the biggest eyes you could muster. Even if he couldn't see them, you knew he knew what you were doing, which was cemented by the fact he let out a defeated sigh and nodded, earning him a hug from behind. Your attention was quickly drawn over to the other of the pair, who was watching with a look you couldn't decipher. You peeked over Ominis's shoulder once, again, this time eyes locked on Sebastian, who seemed taken aback by the sudden attention.
"What about you, Mr Sallow? Good to go?" Sebastian rolled his eyes at your teasing tone, opting instead to turn away from you as his hand raised to rub the back of his neck.
"We're already here, aren't we?" You let out a small cheer of accomplishment, pushing yourself lightly from Ominis in order to pull Sebastian in a side-on hug, arms wrapping around his waist tightly. You let go before you could let yourself do anything stupid, opting instead to check the contents of the small pouch strapped to your waist in case something did go awry.
"You make us look underdressed." You cast a gaze over the pair still dressed in their uniforms and robes, before glancing down at your form clad in a shirt, bodice and knee high boots that covered your trousers. You just shrugged at the comment, as this was just your usual attire for venturing outside the grounds of Hogwarts.
"You know me, I do this a lot. Though I will note that I use confringo quite a lot, so you may want to leave your robes out here lest they come back a little tinged." Though they did listen to your suggestion, with Sebastian also opting to take off his blazer so he was left in his waistcoat.
"If you wanted us to strip, you could have just asked." The flirty look alone was enough for Sebastian to earn the swift jab he received to the side by your elbow. You muttered a quick charm over the discarded clothes to keep them from any thieves or animals that may be in the area, before starting your descent into the dungeon.
"I don't suppose Sweeting told you anything else about what to expect." Sebastian was always one for small talk whilst wandering around, which you tended to appreciate as it eased the tension of exploring new, possibly dangerous places.
"I got the sense she knew more than she was letting on, but she wasn't giving me much so I let it go." You didn't look up from the chest you were investigating as you replied, brain already kicking into adventurer mode. Both boys knew what you got up to in your free time, though it was reassuring to both of them to be present as you'd often come back with a few more scrapes and bruises than they preferred.
"There's something over here!" "I've got something too." The next few rooms went quite smoothly, the three of you moving through the series of puzzles swiftly. You couldn't help but smile with each puzzle you completed.
"You seem awfully cheery." An arm slung it's way over your shoulder as you completed another room, the smirking face of Sebastian filling your vision. You felt the heat creeping up to your cheeks, but the happiness you felt in the moment was enough to hide your embarrassment as you flung your arms around the man, earning you a surprised intake of breath from your attackee.
"I'm just glad to be hanging out with both of you and not feel like we're about to die. Plus you know I'm a sucker for puzzles." Sebastian's arms snaked their way around you as he remembered the time you had come running to him to happily explain your completion of a set of secret depulso puzzle rooms he had never heard of.
"If you two are done with whatever is happening, does someone want to come check this out?" Ominis's voice brings your attention back to the dungeon you are all currently in, and you let out a small dissatisfied noise as you pull away from the warmth of Sebastian's arms.
You always wanted to think something of his affection, but he seemed to be this contact inclined with most of his close friends. Anne and Ominis at least. Sebastian seemed less eager to let go however, so you had to manually unwrap his arms from around you by pulling at his hands. You didn't drop one of them once you finally freed yourself, instead opting to pull Sebastian by the hand into the next room towards Ominis, who was crouched against the floor.
You let Sebastian's hand drop back to his side in order to allow yourself to crouch beside Ominis to see what it was he was attempting to work out, though it was obvious he was having much luck with running his hands over the carved floor.
"Lumos." The charm fell from your lips, dowsing the floor in light as you gazed over the pictorial on the floor. The stone was worn and dusty, making it difficult to tell what it was depicting. You stood and quickly assessed the rest of the room, which was smaller than the rest you had encountered, and contained nothing more than the carving on the floor and a small circle of stone which protruded from the wall. You approached the door, which lacked either a handle nor any way to tell how it opened as it was merely a slab of stone albeit the protrusion. You held your wand up to the circle, seeing on a small dot carved into it's face at 12 o'clock. Your eyebrows furrowed. Up until this point, the puzzles had been fairly simple, like lighting braziers and matching runes on the wall.
You turned your attention back to the carving in the floor, since it was seemingly your only clue.
"I think it's a person?" Sebastian's voice floated up from the floor where he was crouched, wand also lit as he tried to do his best to help you. Ominis was pacing the walls, hit hands running along the crumbling stone in hopes of finding something new. You wandered over to him to check if he had, though he had come up empty.
A loud rumble drew the attention of the three of you, the ground moving harshly which caused you to trip into Ominis, who placed a hand on your back to steady you. Your attention was thrown over to the door you had come into the room through as it slammed shut, cutting off the light from the braziers in the room before. You looked around in confusion, but your attention was quickly drawn back to the carving in the floor. Without the light from the previous room distorting the shadows, it was evident what the carving was. You opened your mouth to tell the boys, when suddenly Ominis was pushed into the side of you. He steadied himself by wrapping an arm around your waist as you back away from the wall and into the centre of the room. But as you did, the wall followed. And it continued to. A low rumble emitted through out the room as the room started to close in on itself. You glanced over at Sebastian who was a far few strides in front of you, by the door.
"One of you kiss me!" Ominis heard you straight away, a look of absolute confusion washing over his features. Sebastian on the other hand, was unsure of what he'd heard due to the rumbling of the moving walls. Neither moved and you let out an exasperated wail.
"The carving!" Sebastian's gaze immediately dropped to the floor, but your attention was fixed in the room slowly trying to crush you. You looked from Sebastian, who was trying to figure out what you meant, to Ominis, who's gaze locked with your own. If you made a beeline for Sebastian right now, it would be obvious to even a Puffskein how you felt, and the closing walls didn't give you enough time to think about whether you were ready for that.
"Shit!" Your voice came out desperate as you pulled Ominis towards you, pressing your lips firmly against his in one swift motion before pulling back and checking the door over his shoulder immediately. Your attention was locked so firmly on the door that you didn't even register the look of betrayal cascading down Sebastian's face. The notch on the circle had moved clockwise, but as you stared at it, it was starting to move back to it's starting position. You let out an wail akin to the dementor before locking your attention back onto Ominis and cupping his face in an attempt to let him know what was happening.
"It has to be longer. I-!" The walls were closing in to quick for you to explain, so instead you locked lips with Ominis once again. You moved against him desperately, begging that this would work because you had sure has hell messed up to the high heavens. It took a moment before Ominis moved to kiss back. Despite his own reluctance, he also didn't want to die a death most gruesome, and would also like the chance to explain the terrible miscommunication he was sure Sebastian was going through right now. You could feel your hand shaking against Ominis's cheek, his own hands gripping tightly against your waist as you leant into him, the desperation for your survival translating into teeth clashing and desperate sounds between the two of you as you tried to keep up with the other in order to open the door. Any space that had existed between the two of you was long gone, and it felt like hours had passed as you kissed the wrong boy. You could feel your eyes welling up, knowing this was not going to end well even if you did survive. Your lungs burning, Ominis's tight grip no doubt leaving bruises on your hips and the sensation of Ominis's mouth on yours was too much and you weren't even sure if death was still approaching. Just as your lungs started to give out, Ominis was unceremoniously yanked from you, sending him flying to the floor. Sebastian hadn't even gone for magic, instead opting to grab Ominis by the collar to pull the pair of you apart. Whether he intended to throw him to the floor or not was a different matter, the look of seething anger he was very much failing to mask giving you an inkling of the answer. The room fell silent, the walls grinding to a halt and the door laying open before you.
"The door's open." Sebastian's voice was gruff, as if he was holding back. He turned swiftly and excited the room, leaving you in the waning darkness. You took a moment to regain your senses, before moving to pull Ominis up from the ground.
"I'm so sorry. I-.."
"I know..." You glanced down at the floor, the carving of the pair lip locked never more evident than in the light that spilled through the now open door. You let out a shaky sigh before following after Sebastian, though it seems he wasn't in the mood for waiting as he had found the exit and swiftly left.
You glanced around the small room before your eyes locked onto a small glass case sitting in the centre of a table just off to your right. The case had long since eroded, the metal frame bent and rusted, and the glass having fallen out of place and cracked in places as it was forced to bent with the metal. You swiftly removed the artefact presented inside, shoving it in your pocket without much further thought and hurrying out of the dungeon.
The light of the outside was harsh, but you had bigger things to worry about. Sebastian thankfully hadn't left, though he was stood a ways from the exit with his back to you. Ominis followed out after you, but opted to stay back as you approached the man in front of you.
"Seb..." You reached out to press your hand against arm, but he swatted you away rather harshly, turning to face you as he did.
"Don't 'Seb' me! What was that?!" His voice was harsh, and it made you take a step back from him as you pulled your arms back into your body, holding yourself tight as you forced yourself to meet his steely gaze.
"The carving, I tried to... I'm sorry, Sebastian." You weren't even sure how to respond, your own body in a state of shock from the whiplash of almost being crushed to death and being forced to kiss Ominis.
"Looked like you two are already plenty comfortable! Anything you need to tell me?!" In your own desperation, you hadn't realised how it must have looked to Sebastian, the pair of you clawing at each other in an attempt to evade death.
"It's not like that, I swear!" You could hear the desperation in your own voice, and it was taking everything in you not to let the waterworks start. Sebastian was seething.
"It's my fault, I know! I didn't mean-!"
"DIDN'T MEAN TO PRACTICALLY SCREW EACH OTHER RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME?!" Sebastian was always one to let his emotions get the better of him, but for a moment you were truly scared. You didn't even mean to, but your hands flew up in front of your face, your eyes clenching shut. You realised what you'd done just as quickly as you'd done it, tearing your arms back down to your sides. All the effort you'd put into holding back the tears came to nought as your eyes locked with Sebastian's once again, whose anger had no melted away only to be replaced with the most gut wrenching look of anguish.
He turned away swiftly, and in the time it took you to come to your senses and follow him he was gone.
-
It was three days before you broke down again. He'd been smooth with it. For the first day, you thought maybe you just hadn't run into him. The second day he didn't turn up to potions. But the third day, you rounded a corner and your eyes locked, and you were sure you've never seen anyone use the floo quicker. He was gone before you even had time to get his name out, and you could only look at your hand outstretched towards nothing, feeling pathetic.
You had been standing there for a moment too long when Ominis found you, gaze locked to the floor as you desperately tried to hold to tears in. One gentle touch from Ominis's hand on your shoulder had your body reeling as you sobbed, tears spattering against the stone floor of the castle. You didn't turn to look at Ominis, knowing the look of pity on his face would only make you feel worse. He gently took your hand and led you away from your spot to somewhere a little more private as you failed to stifle your sobs. He pulled you towards himself as he settled into a quiet corner of the castle, pressing your head into his chest. Your hands raised to grasp pathetically against his robes as you tried to halt your breathing.
"I'm sorry..." You finally managed to croak out. Ominis just chuckled lightly, his hand moving against your hair in time with your breathing.
"It's just a bit too much for me right now... After everything that happened last year, I really let myself think I could have some fun with you guys and not screw it up." You didn't have the motivation to move your head, but it was clear Ominis could hear your murmurs which vibrated against his chest.
"None of last year was your fault, and neither is this... He just needs a while to calm down. Though you may need to tell him after this to make it up to him..." You let out a childish whine, despite knowing that Ominis was right, though the sound was muffled by the fabric your face was pressed into.
"It can't get any worse than this, so just give it time." You nodded against Ominis's chest, giving the man one last squeeze before pulling back and finally looking him in the eye. His gaze was soft, and roughly in your direction which made your heart melt. You really couldn't ask for a better friend.
-
It could definitely get much worse. You tried to avoid the murmurs as you walked the halls, but without Sebastian's running commentary there was little else to listen to.
"Someone totally saw them!"
"There's no way a Gaunt would go for a girl like her."
"She can do better..."
"You'd think people would have more dignity than to make out in the corridor, even if they are dating..." It took all you had not to scream, and it was evident in your face as Poppy placed a hand on your arm to get your attention.
"Are you alright? Did you guys fight?" You'd had to avoid spending too much time with Ominis in public for the last few days as someone had seen him comforting you and started the rumour mill running. Knowing that Sebastian would only get the most misconstrued version of events you opted to not give him anything else to fan the flame. Though Poppy was glad to spend more time with you, you hadn't disclosed what had happened in the dungeon, and it didn't seem, like you intended to. She was a little forlorn about this, but just as she hadn't budged before sending you in there, you didn't give her even so much as an inkling. You had however given her the artefact, so she'd taken it upon herself to figure out exactly what it was, as at the given time it appeared to be nothing more than a small metal cube. Maybe the cube was the key to the outcome she had expected after reading about the dungeon.
"I'm sorting it out... It's just not so easy to get the conversation started." You were halfway to belting at Sebastian down a corridor, but given how messed up just hugging your friend became in the eyes of the student body, you didn't think that would turn out how you wanted. You glanced over at a clock, noting the time and taking in a lung-full of air. You held it for a moment, before letting it all out and turning to Poppy with a wide grin painted across your features.
"I'm sorting it out." You give a firm nod before departing from your friend, leaving her watching you in utter confusion. You made it to the main hall before you realised you had no idea where to even start. You certainly tried to find Sebastian where you expected him to be, but he'd moved seats in all the classes you had together and bolted out the door before you even had time to pick up your textbooks. You even tried to wait for him in the Undercroft, but either he'd turned up once you'd fallen asleep and he'd left you there, or he'd never turned up at all. Either way it really wasn't worth being woken up by Ominis with a crick in your neck and running late to Herbology.
You decide your best course of action is just to aimlessly wander the halls. If he was avoiding you then he'd have a hell of a time doing so when even you don't know where you're going. Ominis had confirmed he didn't tend to hide out in his room as he was also avoiding Ominis, so Sebastian should hopefully be somewhere you have access to.
-
Three hours later and you were beginning to think you hadn't thought this plan through. Maybe you should have just camped out in the Great Hall and waited for him to starve and need food, but even that didn't account for his stubbornness and whether he'd find other sources of food. You let out a sigh, leaning over the banister of the walkway. You peered down over and down at the students wandering below, thinking about how nice it must be to be so carefree. You could only imagine life as a normal Hogwarts student, being able to tuck into the background rather than being presented like a dog at a dog show whether or not you wanted to be. You watch the strolling bodies for a moment, when a streak of green and a neatly laid haircut walks out from below you. You feel every cell in your body jump as you make a beeline for the stairs before you can even register what you're doing. Using your ancient magic boost to your advantage, you manage to catch up, skidding out in front of Sebastian with a burst of light and a heaving chest as you try to catch your breath.
He stares down at you in shock for a moment, before scowling and turning on his heels.
"Not this time, mister!" You run after him, your right hand reaching out and managing to grab his left before he makes it to a floo travel point. You pull him back towards you and he attempts to pull himself out of your grip, but your clutch is as tough as iron as you hold onto him, unwillingly to lose him this time.
"What are you doing?" Though not as seething as last week, the anger in his eyes is still very evident as he glares at you. You move to pull him with you, hoping to get him somewhere a little less crowded.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" You tug at his hand firmly as you start to get annoyed, his face pulled down to meet yours.
"Fine! You want to do this here? I will!" He seems taken aback by your response, your own anger mirroring his. For a moment he looks panicked as his eyes flutter about your face, finally returning to your as his expression falls in defeat. You let out a hum in victory before starting to lead him down the corridor, refusing to loosen your grip his hand lest he decide to make a run for it. After a few hallways Sebastian realises where you are taking him, and the walk turns from more of a pull to the pair of you walking side by side.
You do a quick check for onlookers before rounding the corner to the Undercroft. As you struggle to pull out your wand with your left hand, Sebastian only lets out a sigh before pulling out his own and unlocking the doorway. The descent is held in silence, and although there is now no longer anywhere to run, you still hold a tight grip on Sebastian as if he might vanish into thin air the second you release him.
You take a few steps into the room, before halting, Sebastian watching you expectantly. You take a deep breath before turning back to him, meeting his eyes with a firm stare. But you don't say anything. Now that he's finally there in front of you, you can't get a single sound out.
"How can you be so brazen?" Sebastian's words cut through you like a Grindylow through water, words dripping with animosity and hate.
"What are you on about?" At this point, you weren't even sure why he was mad anymore.
"Don't act like you don't know! Walking through all of Hogwarts hand in hand when you and Ominis... When you're..." He can't even get the words out, as if the thought itself would do him physical damage.
"We're not together!" You'd been dying to shout it to someone, anyone, and in the empty room of the Undercroft it finally fell on the ears of the only person you wanted to hear it.
"Stop LYING to me!" Sebastian rips himself from your grasp, which had been loosening with each word uttered.
"I'm no-"
"I've heard everyone talking! Out in public, really?!" With that it's as if all the sadness in you is gone, and all you fell is anger as the man in front of you refuses to hear the words you saying loud and clear.
"The RUMOURS?!" Sebastian visibly flinches at your tone, never expecting such a reaction to be directed at him.
"You're listening to some stupid rumour some asshole made up then what I am telling you?! I am not, will not and do not want to date Ominis Gaunt!"
"Then what the FUCK was that in the dungeon!?" You'd both taken steps forward, fists clenched as you squared up to each other, eyes locked as you screamed despite the other being mere inches away.
"We were going to die! I wasn't thinking! Why are you so upset about some stupid accident?!"
"It wasn't stupid to me!" You can feel the conversation going nowhere, since neither of you are willing to say the hard truth. And you're not even sure why.
"Why?!" Your voice is exasperated, your eyes threatening to spill as it feels like you're about to lose Sebastian all over again. He stares down at you, watching as your anger turns to desperation, and something unreadable flashes across his eyes. He takes a swift turn and makes a beeline for the door, once again avoiding the conversation.
"SEBASTIAN SALLOW, DO NOT RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!" Your voice echoes out against the thick stone walls of the Undercroft and Sebastian freezes as he hears the crack in your voice as you try desperately not to cry in front of him. But it's not working, and as he finally turns back to you the tears are falling faster than you can wipe them away.
"Please don't go..." Your voice is quiet, racked with sobs and harsh breath and yet it's the loudest he's ever heard you. He takes a step forward, and then another, and a couple more until he's just within arm's reach. You clench at your chest, trying with all your might to get the air back in your lungs. And then the world stops and your vision is obscured as your face is buried within Sebastian's chest.
You've been held a hundred times by your friends. After the Scriptorium, after Ranrok, after Fig. But it was always for you. You could feel it in the way they reassured you, how each of them held you a different way, but for them it was little more than holding something fragile. But the way Sebastian held you, it was like if he let go, his own heart would give out. You held him tight, knowing your own heart would stop if he let you go.
You stilled for a moment, the sound of Sebastian's thumping heartbeat guiding your breathing. Even the way he ran his hands through your hair differed from Ominis's. Ominis always smoothed your hair down, reassuring you like a mother does a child. Sebastian's hand was buried into your hair at the base of your head, thumb wrapping under your ear and drawing small circles along your jawline. You could feel his lips grazing your head as he leant into you, his breath warm against your hair, yet shuddering to reflect the tension wracking his body.
"Why wasn't it me?" His voice was so soft and fragile you almost didn't here had it not been for the fact that his mouth was resting right above your ear. You stood quiet for a moment, pondering what he meant, when it hit you. Your grip on his robes tightened as you bury your head into his chest as firmly as you can. You can feel the shake in his hands, waiting for your reaction.
"I wanted it to be..." You're unsure if your voice even makes it out of your throat. A second longer against his chest and then you pull away, glancing up at the man in front of you, who's looking down at you in a kind of sad awe. You want to look away, you can't bear to see anymore pain in his eyes, but you can't bring yourself to.
"I didn't have enough time... If I,... If I'd crossed the room to you, when Ominis was right next to me, you'd both have worked it out... I didn't have enough time to figure out if I was ready for that... And I know my decision was stupid, I do... I just..." You lost your words as you stared into Sebastian's eyes which were boring back into yours.
"You like me?" You can hear the desperate hope lacing his voice, causing his voice to crack as he speaks, his arms tightening around unconsciously. All you can do is nod.
Laughter fills the empty room, Sebastian's head thrown back as chuckles rip out of his throat. It takes a moment for him to settle again, locking eyes with you who is still watching him cautiously.
"And if I'd let you talk this out a week ago you'd have told me then?" You thought for a second, before settling on your conclusion and giving Sebastian another firm nod. This time his head leans forward, pressing him forehead against yours as a soft whine of defeat leaves his mouth.
"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" Another nod. He chuckles, eyes now closed as he holds you against him. He lets out a satisfied hum before pulling back, gaze meeting your softly and it feels like all your problems are gone as he smiles down at you with that look.
"Can I make it up to you?" A final nod and the hand in your hair pulls you in. Your lips meet his softly, movement unsure and unsteady. One kiss, another, one more, each more firm than the last until you no longer break, lips moving in synchrony as you melt into one another. Sparks are flying in your chest and all you can think is this is how it should be. Your hands creep up his chest and up to his neck to pull yourself up further as to kiss him more deeply. Your hands tousle through his pristine hair, revelling in it's softness. The hand not tangled in your own hair moves from your lower back to grip your hip, causing you to gasp and pull away.
Sebastian looks at you in concern, as if he has done something wrong and you're about to reject him. You panic and quickly pull up your shirt, not quite realising what you were doing in front of this man.
"It's fine, I swear. I, uh, if you needed any proof that Ominis didn't want to kiss me as much as I he, he kind of left a mark or two from trying to keep himself on track." You flash Sebastian the skin of your hip, which is covered in a blotchy bruise which has since turned green as it healed. You glanced down at it yourself, chuckling lightly at the thought of how little Ominis wanted you despite the rumours currently floating around the school.
You glance back up at Sebastian as you drop your shirt back down, only to be taken aback by the glint in his eye. There was something dark behind his stare, but not one that made you back down. His arms pull you back against him firmly, but as he held you close he made sure to keep his grip on your hips light. He didn't waste another second before locking your lips back onto his, but this time the initial softness was gone and all he was giving you was desperation. He was giving you everything he felt watching you kiss Ominis, everything he felt hearing the rumours and seeing you two together around Hogwarts.
And you gave it all back. All the times the last week you had missed him and more. Every kiss is searing, burning it's way into your mind and your heart. You know Sebastian is holding back just as much as you are, the way his hand shakes as he cups your jaw as he pulls you closer and how your shirt is bunched up in his hand clenching at your waist.
A small push and your feet shuffle backwards until your back is against the wall, giving Sebastian the support to press into your further, taking in all that you are to him like he'd never have the chance again. The pressure on your lips lifts after a moment, leaving you aching for more. You can feel the blood in your lips, bruised and swollen from Sebastian's affection. He kisses you once, twice more, like he has somewhere else to be but can't bear to be anywhere but on your lips, before he starts trailing down the side of your jaw, underneath your ears and down your neck. He pulls away at whatever your shirt and tie will let him at, leaving soft wet kisses anywhere he can, before latching onto the skin of your neck over your pulse. A stammering gasp leaves you as he works, before he pulls away to admire his work. He smirks, clearly proud of himself as he locks eyes with you for what feels like the first time in forever.
"I'm the only one who gets to mark you, got it?" It's less of a question than a command, but hearing such a possessive tone from Sebastian has you weak at the knees, and suddenly you're glad to be pressed against the steady surface of the wall. You nod, your voice long since gone and you don't trust yourself not to say something stupid as your mind is full of cotton.
"Look at you, little miss troll slayer, hero of Hogwarts, can't get a word out..." All of his confidence was back in droves and with you in his arms it sure as hell wasn't going anywhere. You shoot him a scowl.
"Shut up and kiss me." A light chuckle fills your ears like music before lips meet yours once again.
"Yes, ma'am." He doesn't take his lips off yours as he murmurs his reply before delving back into you. You're both now a fit of laughter intermittently silenced by small kisses and affectionate apologies for the last week and the world finally feels right again.
A cough slices through the silence, drawing both your attentions over to the Undercroft entrance.
"As glad as I am that you've finally made up, can I request some forewarning if MY Undercroft is going to be used as a make-out spot in the future." You beam as you see Ominis standing a little ways from the pair of you who are very much still wrapped tightly together. You gaze falls back on Sebastian, who is already watching you. You furrow your eyebrows lightly, gesturing with your head towards Ominis which elicits a sigh from Sebastian. He reluctantly pulls himself away from you and moves towards his best friend, whom is waiting patiently as if he already knows what is coming.
"I'm really sorry about the past week. I'm -."
"An utter imbecile who would have saved all of us a lot of trouble if he could only listen for 5 minutes?" Ominis raised an eyebrow as he spoke, causing Sebastian to rub the back of his neck and cast his gaze to the floor.
"As always, right on the money." Ominis lets out a light chuckle.
"I'm only going to let this slide because it's been a long time coming and you're both idiots. I also think you should talk to your friend Poppy about meddling with your love life because I'm sure a lot more trouble would have been avoided if she'd specified ONLY one other person was required for her dungeon." The realisation hit you like a ton of bricks.
"She set me up! Oh I'm so going to get her for this!" You make a start for the exit when you're stopped by a firm hand to your shoulder.
"And what makes you think we're finished here?" Sebastian's voice is once again firm and you know there was no way you'd be able to disobey his wishes.
"And that is definitely my cue to leave." Ominis leaves swiftly, leaving you alone once again with Sebastian, the room falling silent once again as you allow the hand on your shoulder to spin you around to face the man behind you.
"I'm not sure I've made it up to you yet." You place your hands on his chest as he pulls you flush against him once more.
"By all means, you can make it up to me all you like."
-
You hear your name called out from somewhere behind you, and as you spin around your gaze meets that of a small Hufflepuff running up to you. You greet her softly and suddenly the need to confront her is triggered in your brain.
"I finally figured out what the artefact is! It was buried very deep in the historical section of the library but I've got it!" Poppy held a book out to you and you scanned the open page lightly. A hum of recognition leaves your lips, which doesn't seem to be the reaction Poppy was looking for.
"You give it to the person you like, and it glows if they like you back!" Poppy hurriedly pulled the artefact from her back pocket and placed it in your palm.
"So who do you want to give it to?" Poppy took a step back, shaking her head wildly as you spoke.
"NO, no, it's not for me... I thought maybe you'd want to use it?" You cocked an eyebrows at her, a smug smile spreading across your features.
"Bit of a trivial item for a near death experience, don't you think?" Poppy was practically sweating where she stood as you stared down at her innocently.
"You know..."
"I know." The poor girl almost fell to the floor, bottom lip quivering as she looked up at you with big eyes.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't think it would try to kill you. And it was stupid of me to think you'd only take Sebastian, of course that was never going to happen. But I was just thinking if you give him that then you guys will be able to make up and it won't be my fault!" Poppy was on the verge of tears, and you felt bad for revelling in the guilt she was feeling after accidentally causing the last week of issues.
"What are you ladies talking about?" An arm slid around your waist. Perfect timing, as always. Poppy looked up at the man beside you in surprise. You laughed lightly before holding up the small cube in your hand.
"Just the artefact we found in the dungeon." You slid the cube into Sebastian's free hand, trying to hold in your grin as it blossomed into a soft blue glow.
"It's a glowing cube?" You giggled at his perplexed look, holding your hand out for the cube once more. He passed it back over, and the glow persisted as it fell into your hands. You held the small cube back up to Poppy, whose jaw was almost on the floor.
"I'm so late?" You just nodded as laughter shook your body and you bid the poor girl farewell as Sebastian guided you away.
"All that for a cube?" You cocked your eyebrow at Sebastian, who immediately knew he was in trouble.
"Nope, nope, you're completely right, all that for all this. I am the luckiest man alive." You rolled your eyes as you quickly pulled him down by his tie for a kiss before hurrying off towards potions together.
"That you are."